VICTOR JOECKS: Strict gun control laws didn’t stop Minneapolis shooting

If gun control stopped mass shootings, the nation wouldn’t be mourning what happened in Minnesota.

On Wednesday, a 23-year-old man shot up Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis. He opened fire while students were at Mass. Tragically, two children died and another 18 people were wounded. The shooter then took his own life.

Within hours of this crime, it became obvious that this shooter would be inconvenient for the left. He was a man pretending to be a woman. He applied for a name change in 2017 when he was 17 years old. It was approved in 2020.

“I only keep (the long hair) because it is pretty much my last shred of being trans,” he wrote in his journal, as translated by the New York Post. “I am tired of being trans, I wish I never brain-washed myself.”

It’s long past time for society to completely acknowledge that boys can’t become girls. That people aren’t born in the wrong bodies. That pumping teenagers full of cross-sex hormones in pursuit of a delusion is dangerous. That’s especially true when leftists then deem opposition to transgender ideology an “attack” or “genocidal rhetoric.”

Instead, The New York Times called the shooter a “her.” Most outlets buried this detail.

This shooter left a disturbing video showing messages that he had written on his weapons, magazines and other items. Those statements included “Where is your God?” “Kill Donald Trump” and “6 million wasn’t enough.” That last statement is a reference to the number of Jews murdered during the Holocaust.

Despite his video and writings, the propaganda press claims it’s not clear why the shooter did this. While it’s true that investigators are still searching for a specific tipping point, it’s not hard to figure out his motive here.

The shooter embraced evil and sought to destroy innocence and life. He had a specific hatred of Christians. He put a picture of Jesus on a shooting target. That is obvious even before we find out how much cross-sex hormones and/or drug use contributed to his depravity.

For all these reasons, expect Democrats to quickly move on. When they do talk about this, it will probably be to defend transgender ideology or call for gun control.

But here’s the problem. This shooting happened in Democrat-run Minnesota. Its governor is former Democrat vice presidential candidate Tim Walz. In 2023, he signed a massive gun control bill.

“There’s no place for weapons of war in our schools, churches, banks, or anywhere else people are just trying to live their lives,” he said at the time. “Today is about taking meaningful action to create a safer future for our kids, and I am proud to sign this commonsense, lifesaving legislation into law.”

It didn’t work. That isn’t surprising since criminals are willing to break the law.

Gun control advocates should explain their failed track record before they urge states and Congress to double down on failure.

As this shooting proves, evil exists. And you can’t stop it by disarming those opposed to it.

Victor Joecks’ column appears in the Opinion section each Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. Listen to him discuss his columns each Monday at noon with Kevin Wall on AM 670 KMZQ Right Talk. Contact him at vjoecks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4698. Follow @victorjoecks on X.